Cherry 3 in 1 Crib

This is my first large woodworking project and first post, it is the three in one crib from Wood Magazine that many of you have made. I started the project at the beginning of February, and finished with time to spare as my wife and I are expecting our first child in April. I pretty much followed the plans to a T, with the exception of the side panels which I made using slats instead of solid panels. I also made the rails of solid cherry instead of plywood, which really gives the dowels a solid base to pull against when bolting it together. The finish is a wash coat of a 1# cut of shellac followed by an application of cherry gel stain and than finished with wipe on poly.

The wife was so happy with the final project that she gave me the go ahead to make the matching changing table. Thanks to all the guys at the wood shop who were more than happy to offer tips and advise for some of the more tricky aspects. Also with all the great information on this site, I was able to find all of the information I needed; this is a great community!

Wendy~ I actually saw your crib on here when I was trying to decide if I wanted to go with the Wood Magazine plans. It was one of many fine examples on this site that made me decide that these plans were the way to go!

When making the side with slats like that, what did you do to keep the side from falling apart? Did you just make the slats the full length and glue them in place? Or did you pin nail them as well? Or something else? I’m building one right now and looking to make that same modification to the sides. (On the front and back they have you make the slats a little shorter so you can get them in and then not glue the slats in place). Have you had any issues with wood movement in the slats?